Gittin 63

שופתא בקופינא דמרא רפיא רב יוסף אמר אפילו סיכתא בדפנא רפיא רב אחא בר יעקב אמר אפילו קניא בכופתא רפיא:

the pin in the handle of the plough<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which fastens the handle to the blade. ');">¹</span>

<br><br><big><strong>הדרן עלך כל הגט:</strong></big><br><br>

becomes loose [rafia]. R. Joseph said: Even a peg in a wall becomes loose. R. Aha b. Jacob said: Even a cane in a wicker basket becomes slack.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The meaning is that this wind causes things which are usually closely united like brothers to fall apart, the word yafri [H] being interpreted as yarfi [H] 'loosens' or 'slackens'. ');">²</span>

מתני׳ <big><strong>השולח</strong></big> גט לאשתו והגיע בשליח או ששלח אחריו שליח ואמר לו גט שנתתי לך בטל הוא הרי זה בטל קידם אצל אשתו או ששלח אצלה שליח ואמר לה גט ששלחתי לך בטל הוא הרי זה בטל אם משהגיע גט לידה שוב אינו יכול לבטלו

<b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF A MAN AFTER DISPATCHING A GET TO HIS WIFE MEETS THE BEARER, OR SENDS A MESSENGER AFTER HIM, AND SAYS TO HIM, THE GET WHICH I HAVE GIVEN TO YOU IS CANCELLED, THEN IT IS CANCELLED. IF THE HUSBAND MEETS THE WIFE BEFORE [THE BEARER] OR SENDS A MESSENGER TO HER AND SAYS, THE GET I HAVE SENT TO YOU IS CANCELLED, THEN IT IS CANCELLED. ONCE, HOWEVER, THE GET HAS REACHED HER HAND, HE CANNOT CANCEL IT. IN FORMER TIMES A MAN WAS ALLOWED TO BRING TOGETHER A <i>BETH DIN</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., three persons. ');">³</span>

בראשונה היה עושה ב"ד ממקום אחר ומבטלו התקין רבן גמליאל הזקן שלא יהו עושין כן מפני תיקון העולם:

WHEREVER HE WAS AND CANCEL THE GET. RABBAN GAMALIEL THE ELDER, HOWEVER, LAID DOWN A RULE THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE DONE, SO AS TO PREVENT ABUSES.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'for the better ordering of society'. Lest the bearer should give it to her in ignorance that it was annulled and she marry on the strength of it. ');">⁴</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> הגיעו לא קתני אלא הגיע ואפי' ממילא ולא אמרינן לצעורה הוא דקא מיכוין

<b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. [The Mishnah] does not say 'meets him,' but simply 'MEETS', that is to say, even accidentally; and we do not say in that case that he merely desires to annoy his wife.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By holding up the Get for a month or two; for had he been intent on annulling it he would have made a special effort to overtake the bearer. ');">⁵</span>

או ששלח אחריו שליח ל"ל מהו דתימא לא אלימא שליחותיה דבתרא משליחותיה דקמא דלבטליה קמ"ל

OR SENDS A MESSENGER AFTER HIM etc. Why state this?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It seems self-evident. ');">⁶</span>

קדם הוא אצל אשתו למה לי מהו דתימא כי לא אמרינן לצעורה קא מיכוין ה"מ לשליח אבל לדידה ודאי לצעורה קא מיכוין קמ"ל

— You might think that the commission given to the second has no more force than that given to the first and therefore should not countermand it. Now I know [that this is not so]. IF HE MEETS HIS WIFE BEFORE THE BEARER etc. Why state this? — You might think that although we rejected [above the idea] that he desires to annoy [his wife]. this is only when he says to the bearer [that the Get is cancelled]. but [if he says so] to [the wife] herself he certainly does mean merely to annoy her. Now I know [that this is not so]. OR SENDS A MESSENGER TO HER. Why state this? — You might think that while he would not put himself out merely to annoy her, yet if he sends a messenger, to whose trouble he is indifferent, he certainly desires merely to annoy her. Now I know [that this is not so]. ONCE THE GET HAS REACHED HER HAND HE CANNOT CANCEL IT. Is not this self-evident? — It required to be stated in view of the case where he made efforts from the very first to cancel it. You might think that in this case, subsequent events prove him to have actually annulled [the Get]. Now I know [that this is not so].

או ששלח אצלה שליח למה לי מהו דתימא איהו הוא דלא טרח אדעתא לצעורה אבל שליח דלא איכפת ליה כי טרח ודאי לצעורה קא מיכוין קמ"ל

Our Rabbis have taught: [If he says,] 'It is canceled [batel]', 'I don't want it,' his words take effect. [If he said,] 'It is invalid', 'it is no Get,' his words are of no effect.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because he is describing its character wrongly. ');">⁷</span>

אם משהגיע גט לידה אינו יכול לבטלו פשיטא לא צריכא דמהדר עליה מעיקרא לבטולי מהו דתימא איגלאי מלתא למפרע דבטולי בטליה קמ"ל:

This means to say, does it not, that the expression batel<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Present tense. ');">⁸</span>

ת"ר בטל הוא אי איפשי בו דבריו קיימין פסול הוא אינו גט לא אמר כלום

is equivalent to 'let it be canceled.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And not a description of its character. ');">⁹</span>

למימרא דבטל לישנא דלבטיל משמע והאמר רבה בר איבו אמר רב ששת ואמרי לה אמר רבה בר אבוה מקבל מתנה שאמר לאחר שבאתה מתנה לידו מתנה זו מבוטלת תיבטל אי איפשי בה לא אמר כלום בטלה היא אינה מתנה דבריו קיימין אלמא בטל מעיקרא משמע

How can this be, seeing that Rabbah b. Aibu has said in the name of R. Shesheth (or, according to others, Rabbah b. Abbuah said), If the recipient of a gift says after it has come into his possession. 'This gift is to be cancelled,' 'let it be cancelled', 'I don't want it,' his words are of no effect,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [As he cannot by a mere declaration annul a thing already in his possession]. ');">¹⁰</span>

אמר אביי בטל

but if he said, 'It is canceled [batel],' 'it is no gift', his words have effect. This shows, does it not, that batel means 'cancelled from the outset'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [And therefore the gift had never passed into possession. Applying this mutatis mutandis in the case of a Get, batel should have no effect, because it is a wrong description of the character of the Get]. ');">¹¹</span> — Abaye replied: The expression batel